Psychology Taree

A mental health treatment plan is prepared by your GP, so the starting point is a standard GP appointment, ideally booked as a longer consultation and mentioning it's for mental health when you book. Your doctor assesses what you've been experiencing, discusses options and, where a plan is appropriate, prepares it with you, identifying your goals and the recommended treatment. The plan provides Medicare rebates for up to ten individual psychology sessions per calendar year, typically issued in blocks, with a GP review between blocks to check progress.

You can be referred to a psychologist of your choice, and the referral remains valid across calendar years until its sessions are used. The GP consultation itself is a normal Medicare appointment, bulk billed at practices that bulk bill. Nothing about the plan appears anywhere beyond your confidential medical record, and having one carries no consequences for employment or insurance disclosure obligations beyond what applies to any medical care.

Both work in mental health, but their training and roles differ. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who completed specialist training in psychiatry, which means they can prescribe medication, manage complex and severe mental illness and admit patients to hospital. Seeing a psychiatrist requires a GP referral, and their role often centres on diagnosis and medication management for conditions needing medical treatment.

Psychologists complete university training in psychology and are registered with AHPRA. They don't prescribe medication; their work is assessment and psychological therapy, treating concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma and stress through structured therapeutic approaches. For many common mental health concerns, psychological therapy is the recommended first-line treatment, which is why GP referrals commonly go to psychologists. The professions frequently work together, with a psychiatrist managing medication while a psychologist provides therapy, and a GP coordinating both. Which suits your situation depends on what you're experiencing, and your GP can advise the appropriate pathway.

Medicare provides rebates for up to ten individual psychology sessions per calendar year under a mental health treatment plan, along with up to ten group therapy sessions where relevant. Referrals are typically issued for an initial course of six sessions, followed by a GP review to assess progress, after which the remaining four can be referred where continuing therapy is appropriate. The allocation resets each calendar year, and unused sessions don't carry over.

The Medicare rebate may not cover a psychologist's full fee, so ask about gap payments when booking, as billing varies between providers, with some bulk billing eligible patients. Beyond the mental health plan pathway, psychology sessions may also be accessed through a chronic condition care plan where mental health forms part of managing a chronic condition, through private health insurance extras cover, through DVA arrangements for eligible veterans and privately without any referral at all, which some people prefer for flexibility despite the cost.